Israel Matzav

Abu Tir arrested

On Tuesday, I reported that three Hamas legislators and a former Hamas cabinet minister would be spared expulsion from Jerusalem if they renounced their membership in Hamas. That was apparently too much for at least one of them to handle. And so, Mohammed (the JPost had it as Mahmoud the other day) Abu Tir - who is famous for his orange beard - was arrested again.

Abu Tir was arrested at the entrance to the city's southeastern Armon Hanatziv neighborhood, and taken for questioning at the Russian Compound police headquarters.

Police are expected to ask a court on Thursday to remand Abu Tir in custody.

In early June, Jerusalem police confiscated Abu Tir's Israeli identity card, along with those of three other Hamas legislators - Mohammed Totach, Khaled Abu Arafa, and Ahmed Atoun - giving them until July to leave Jerusalem.

All four have refused to give up their duties within the Hamas Legislative Council. Detectives from the Jerusalem District Police Central Unit took their identity cards after the High Court said it would not prevent the men's expulsion.

Israel had warned the four men in the past to renounce membership of Hamas or risk losing residency rights in East Jerusalem.

You would think that our 'peace partner' - who is Hamas' rival and whom we are allegedly trying to strengthen - would be happy to see Abu Tir and his friends out of the way. You would be wrong.

On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced Israel's plan to expel the four Hamas politicians from Jerusalem for belonging to the Islamic militant group Hamas, saying the expulsion Bank would set a dangerous precedent and would create new obstacles for peace.

Maybe Abu Bluff doesn't really want to be the head of a 'Palestinian state.' Maybe what he really wants is just to destroy Israel.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:03 PM